Ultimate Performancehttp://upfitness.co.uk
The world's number one body composition expertsFri, 09 Dec 2016 10:08:46 +0000en-UShourly1Kelly’s Fight to Fitness: Week 3 – The Pursuit of Happiness (Hibernation)http://upfitness.co.uk/articles/kellys-fight-fitness-week-3-pursuit-happiness-hibernation/
http://upfitness.co.uk/articles/kellys-fight-fitness-week-3-pursuit-happiness-hibernation/#respondFri, 09 Dec 2016 09:47:18 +0000http://upfitness.co.uk/?p=14302Another great week in the gym and another personal best on a torture machine, only this time it was the Lat Pull-down. Steve, my trainer may have mentioned if I want to feel good in a backless dress (without betty-back-fat having her very own cleavage), I need to make this machine my very best friend (OK, OK they may be my own words but that’s what I heard) and it worked, we are now BFFs. So I have the gym …

]]>Another great week in the gym and another personal best on a torture machine, only this time it was the Lat Pull-down.

Steve, my trainer may have mentioned if I want to feel good in a backless dress (without betty-back-fat having her very own cleavage), I need to make this machine my very best friend (OK, OK they may be my own words but that’s what I heard) and it worked, we are now BFFs.

So I have the gym down and loving it, thanks to Steve never letting up but as Nick (Mitchell) said, it’s what you do with the other 23 hours of your day that makes the difference.

With the festive season here, 23 hours out in the wild can lead to quite a lot mischief for me.

The Christmas markets are now in full flow, mulled wine warming the shoppers and the smell of Bratverst in the air. Yes, it’s that time of year again and unfortunately, it’s not just the goose that gets fat.

How do you stop binge eating?

So how to combat the urge to indulge? I asked myself. I’ve got to keep busy, so over the last few weeks I have been on a quest to find a new hobby or two.

So I did just that. It’s been a while since I last sat on a yoga mat but I thought I’ll be fine. A bit of stretching and breathing, easy, maybe? Maybe not!

After wrapping my arm around my head and back 17 times and sitting on a chair that wasn’t there, I was instructed to just rest there, in this position and relax, breathe in and breathe out, let your body find its natural relaxed position…mine?

It’s half a mile away with my legs on a nice comfy sofa.

But no I shall persevere and do my downward dog until I’m a vegan who brings peace to the world through stretching.

However, one piece of advice…as a novice, I would not recommend trying the crab. Especially if you are an out of shape, top heavy novice.

You’ll hurt your back, have two black eyes and end up unable to move.

Maybe you need 2 weeks at this to master Yoga?

Rock Climbing

OK next…rock climbing.

This is something I have wanted to do for years.I can see me and the boyfriend off for long weekends, climbing up rocks and lunching at the summit with a glorious view…bliss.

I can see me and the boyfriend off for long weekends, climbing up rocks and lunching at the summit with a glorious view…bliss.

What I didn’t see coming was the instructor looking at me, looking at my boyfriend and then carefully asked if he would like a sandbag to weigh him down?

In case what? I fell off the wall and shot him into the sky?

“Go on sweetheart, I dare you, say yes to the sandbag and you’ll be single in heartbeat my darling”.

Luckily he knew the correct answer! (He’s still alive)

I did, however, stick this out for the 4-week course and have now mastered the art of knot tying and learnt the basics of climbing so I plan on doing a lot more of this in the new year.

Who knows maybe by summer I’ll be a cliff-hanger – I do hope Mr Stallone is there.

But for the next few weeks, the winner for keeping me out of the markets are…drum roll, please…boxsets, blockbusters and blankets.

Sometimes chilling out wins the race.

“I never knew until I started this just how much sleep affects your weight loss as well as strength and moods.”

I hit a plateau a few months ago and my trainer had me email him every day on a scale of 1-10 my stress levels, water intake, hours of sleep and morning weight and I quickly started to see for myself the difference it makes to all areas when I was getting a good 8 hours of sleep.

So plan – beast the gym in the morning, walk everywhere I can, take the stairs, and pray to god the evil elf on my shoulder doesn’t win.

Staying the Festive Course

Do you know what? I have never wished for the festive season to be over before it’s begun but the safety of ‘Dry January’ means my will power will be at its highest and I know I won’t stop until I hit my goal this time.

In the next 3 weeks, I have 4 Christmas parties, Christmas day, 5 days in Paris (including a cooking course and wine tasting), then New Years Eve to get through (I am aware this is nothing to complain about in the normal world, but I am sat here dreading it)!

If I’m completely honest I don’t know how I feel about this. I beat myself up saying if I want this badly then I won’t break and for once in my life I’ll be disciplined and see it through but then I also think I want to enjoy life whilst it’s happening, so make better choices for 3 weeks and be a robot in January.

I’ve just realised I started this weeks blog writing “another great week” and somehow ending it with doubt, annoyance and basically pissed off at all things Christmas! But this is it…dieting is hard!

Especially to someone who has spent many years with bad habits. I’m still learning, still changing my ways and still changing my mind.

I find it difficult to be anything other than all or nothing but sometimes a happy balance is needed…isn’t it? Or is that what weak people say?

Luckily as I write this I’m 8 hours away from a gym session, so Steve will put me straight in the morning and I’ll be back waxing lyrical about the benefits of behaving but right now, this evening, the benefits can suck it.

I want a large Malbec, a lively bar playing Mariah’s ‘All I want for Christmas’ and to corrupt my gym squad ladies into joining me.

Don’t worry, I’m not…I have my pj’s on, drinking a Jasmin tea (rock and roll) and about to head to Bedfordshire.

]]>http://upfitness.co.uk/articles/kellys-fight-fitness-week-3-pursuit-happiness-hibernation/feed/0Nick Mitchell: ‘Are you a lifter or a librarian?’http://upfitness.co.uk/blog/bodybuilding-lifters-and-librarians/
http://upfitness.co.uk/blog/bodybuilding-lifters-and-librarians/#respondFri, 09 Dec 2016 09:11:25 +0000http://upfitness.co.uk/?p=14132There are two types of people in this world - but only one will build real muscle...

]]>There are two types of people in this world – lifters and librarians.

George Butler, the man who directed the seminal movie on bodybuilding “Pumping Iron”, put it best when describing a prime Schwarzenegger in his natural habitat of the gym.

He said that there was a “joy and fierceness” to Arnold that could never be reproduced in other settings or be forced out no matter how many acting lessons or reinventions the future Governator went through.

That’s a story that has lived with me for many years.

It epitomises what weight training should be all about. There should be fire and brimstone tempered with a sense of fun and fulfilment. It’s this feeling that has given me my lifelong love of the gym and helped to create the UP business that soon will span four different continents (more news on that to come soon!).

My own background is very serious, very masculine, “hardcore” gyms and when I opened the first UP gym in 2009 I wanted to recreate the joy and fierceness of that setting in a more cerebral and inclusive environment.

A key component to the early success of that first City of London gym was that it turned around the stale, boring and unexciting atmosphere of the Personal Training studio and injected life and passion onto the gym floor.

I can vividly recall clients who had come over to the gym with a trainer who had previously been working at Virgin Active telling him “Nick pushes his clients so hard, I would be scared to train with him”.

If I had taken the standard fitness industry response to that and prioritised chasing the dollars as my number one focus, it would have made me tone down the way that I always pushed every client out of their comfort zone (please remember that a comfort zone, as well as being a warm and fuzzy place where nothing ever grows, is also very specific to the individual – it’s never about a one-size-fits-all beasting session).

Instead, it made me push harder and crystalized my belief that my way was the right way.

I would see all these people sign up with us as new clients and very often they’d been paying trainers, sometimes for years, with barely any results to show for it. On the other hand, my clients and those of the trainers I was bringing up within UP, were achieving more in 12 weeks with us than most achieved in 12 months or more working with so-called regular trainers.

It’s nowhere near as simple as just “training hard”, but as well as the physiological adaptations caused by pushing yourself to a place that you’ve never been (which can be as prosaic as one more rep or one more kilo on the bar) there is something visceral about a tough workout that sets your mind up for making all the lifestyle and diet changes needed to achieve the UP watchword of “maximum results in minimum time”.

If you don’t live near a UP gym you can still get in the best shape of your life with one of our UP Online Personal Training plans from anywhere in the world.

]]>http://upfitness.co.uk/blog/bodybuilding-lifters-and-librarians/feed/0Christmas Carbs We Love: Butternut Chestnut Roasthttp://upfitness.co.uk/food/christmas-carbs-we-love-butternut-chestnut-roast/
http://upfitness.co.uk/food/christmas-carbs-we-love-butternut-chestnut-roast/#respondThu, 08 Dec 2016 22:17:08 +0000http://upfitness.co.uk/?p=14255When we talk about carbs at Christmas, your mind will conjure up images of duck fat roasted potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and mince pies. While it’s common knowledge that these aren’t the foods to eat for fat loss, they often find a way of getting onto our plates at Christmas time – so let’s consider a healthier option to satisfy those carb cravings. Butternut squash is a seriously delicious winter vegetable, comforting and full of fibre it will satisfy your taste …

]]>When we talk about carbs at Christmas, your mind will conjure up images of duck fat roasted potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and mince pies.

While it’s common knowledge that these aren’t the foods to eat for fat loss, they often find a way of getting onto our plates at Christmas time – so let’s consider a healthier option to satisfy those carb cravings.

Butternut squash is a seriously delicious winter vegetable, comforting and full of fibre it will satisfy your taste buds and your hunger. It will also help to keep your blood sugar levels under control with a Glycemic Index of 51 compared to potato (baked) which has a Glycemic Index of 85.

Butternut squash also contains vitamin C and beta carotene so it can help to boost your immunity during the colder months.

Pair your squash with chestnuts and sautéedonions, and you have a tasty festive side dish that will please everybody. Sage and butternut are a match made in heaven and pairing them together in this recipe is no exception.

This recipe is a one-pan wonder, simply dice everything up and throw it in a baking pan. Roast and season – easy!

Macros:

Serves 4 as a side, per serve:

Calories: 133 Carbs: 20.8g Fat: 3.9g Protein: 2.3g

Ingredients:

500g diced butternut squash

100g ready to eat chopped chestnuts

¼ red onion

1 tbsp light olive oil

1 tsp sage

1tsp thyme

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp Himalayan sea salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Slice the red onion into thin slices and add the butternut, chestnuts and onion to the tray.

Season with the herbs, salt and pepper and drizzle with light olive oil.

Roast for 30-35 minutes until the dice are tender inside.

If you’re really looking to take your health, nutrition and training to the next level in 2017, why not speak to us about our UP Personal Training plans.

If you don’t live near a UP gym you can still get in the best shape of your life with one of our UP Online Personal Training plans from anywhere in the world.

]]>http://upfitness.co.uk/food/christmas-carbs-we-love-butternut-chestnut-roast/feed/06 Ways To Make Overnight Oats: The Easiest Healthy Breakfast, Everhttp://upfitness.co.uk/food/6-ways-to-do-overnight-oats-the-easiest-healthy-breakfast-ever/
http://upfitness.co.uk/food/6-ways-to-do-overnight-oats-the-easiest-healthy-breakfast-ever/#respondThu, 08 Dec 2016 18:47:28 +0000http://upfitness.co.uk/?p=14262Overnight Oats are a seriously quick and easy way to get a healthy breakfast, in no time at all! Similar to porridge, oats are creamy and tasty. However, they require no cooking and can be prepared in a matter of minutes the night before. Oats are a highly nutritious whole grain that can help to keep blood sugar levels stable due to their high fibre content. They also have more protein than most other grains. Oats contain beta-glucan – a …

]]>Overnight Oats are a seriously quick and easy way to get a healthy breakfast, in no time at all!

Similar to porridge, oats are creamy and tasty. However, they require no cooking and can be prepared in a matter of minutes the night before.
Oats are a highly nutritious whole grain that can help to keep blood sugar levels stable due to their high fibre content. They also have more protein than most other grains.

Oats contain beta-glucan – a fibre that helps maintain blood sugar levels and can help to improve insulin sensitivity.

They are also a great source of minerals such as manganese, magnesium and iron and also contain antioxidants that have been suggested to help the reduction of blood pressure.
Therefore oats are a great choice for breakfast and can be used in various recipes such as porridge, in baking and smoothies.

My favourite go-to for breakfast are these Overnight Oats because they are so easy to prepare and I can simply grab them and go in the morning (so no excuses that you don’t have time for breakfast!)

The basic recipe I use for Overnight Oats looks like this:

Ingredients

50g oats

100ml whole milk

100g greek yoghurt (Total 0% Fat Yogurt)

Method

Mix all of the ingredients together, cover and refrigerate.

Macros:

Calories: 310 Carbs: 37.9g Fat: 7.6g Protein: 19.7g
I always add delicious toppings for my overnight oats to keep them tasty and interesting. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Fruity! With Berry Compote

Prepare your berry compote by heating 75g of frozen berries in a pan until they completely break down and form compote.

Top your oats with two spoonfuls of compote and store the remaining mixture in the fridge.

Cover your oats with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.

You can vary this recipe by adding frozen fruits straight from the freezer as they will come down by the next day and you could add nuts and seeds too.

If you don’t live near a UP gym you can still get in the best shape of your life with one of our UP Online Personal Training plans from anywhere in the world.

]]>http://upfitness.co.uk/food/6-ways-to-do-overnight-oats-the-easiest-healthy-breakfast-ever/feed/0Top 7 Foods You THOUGHT Were Healthyhttp://upfitness.co.uk/food/top-7-foods-thought-healthy/
http://upfitness.co.uk/food/top-7-foods-thought-healthy/#respondThu, 08 Dec 2016 18:34:47 +0000http://upfitness.co.uk/?p=14258It's so hard to know what is healthy and what isn't these days. But these are the 7 foods people wrongly believe are good for you...

You go into any supermarket and there are aisles full of food with ‘low fat’, ‘sugar free’ and ‘now with 30% less calories’ pasted all over them.

It’s just as bad when you go online where you’re bombarded with new ‘facts’ about what’s healthy or the latest research uncovering a new superfood.

It’s so easy to get confused amidst all of the various claims about the benefits of different foods, especially as companies are now trying to promote their products to healthier audiences.

How do you distinguish between what is healthy and what is not? We have put together a list of the top 7 foods that people thought were healthy…but actually aren’t.

We have also offered some alternatives to make sure you keep your diet clean…

1. Orange Juice

Orange juice is a commonly misconceived health food, as it’s packed full of vitamin C and comes from fruit.

The issue with orange juice is that half of the orange juice you can buy from the shop is from concentrate. Juice from concentrate is a refined version of pure orange juice that is dehydrated for easy transportation and then watered back down to taste. Often extra flavours, additives and added sugars are then brought into the mix too. This refining process means that your natural orange juice is quite different from the fresh orange it was squeezed from!

Then we consider orange juice not from concentrate. Purely fresh juice squeezed straight from oranges. Better, but still very naturally sweet and lacking fibre so when you drink it the effect on your blood sugar is intense. Juicing fruits strips them of their natural fibre and fibre helps to slow down digestion and the release of sugar into your body. A better solution all round would be to fill up on water and add fresh fruit to flavour it, if you like.

2. Jacket Potatoes

Jacket potatoes have forever filled the pages of diet books and slimming magazines – citing themselves as low fat and healthy because they are natural and from the ground.

OK, so potatoes aren’t a terrible inclusion in your diet, as they are from the earth, contain lots of fibre and are a vegetable. The biggest claim alongside jacket potatoes is their low-fat content.

However, when you look at the complete nutrition of a baked potato – we can see relatively high calories and carbohydrates. Neither of these things will help you to lose weight and then let’s say you fill your jacket potato with baked beans and cheese, maybe a little butter for good measure. Well, you’ve ruled out low fat now, and baked beans are themselves full of sugar so all in all, a pretty unhealthy meal.

Healthy Recipe: Sweet Potato Skins

Take one medium-sized sweet potato and bake it in the oven for 25-30 minutes until tender inside.

Slice in half and scoop out the middle. Place half of the potato into a bowl and discard the other half. (If you don’t want to waste it, pop it in a container in the fridge to use for sweet potato mash!)

Add your choice of fillings – think coronation chicken, goats cheese and bacon, chicken tikka, mixed bean chilli. Mix in with the remaining potato and then stuff back into the skins.

Season and bake for a further 10 minutes.

3. Cereal

A lot of people who think that they eat healthily will give this answer when asked the question – what is your usual choice for breakfast?

Cereal is commonly marketed as full of vitamins, minerals, whole grains, fibre – you name it, and it seems cereal has it!

There are now ‘low fat’ cereals and ‘high protein’ cereals – more so since the increase in trends surrounding high protein diets. However, if we look at the ingredients of most cereals we can see that they aren’t so healthy at all.

Cereals are often high in sugar and are classed as a refined carbohydrate. For a better breakfast choice why not try our recipe for Overnight Oats.

4. Bagels

The amount of carbohydrates in one bagel is usually around 60-65g, which is very high. The Glycemic Index of a bagel is around 70 – meaning it has a severe impact on your blood sugar levels post-consumption.

These facts mean that bagels are terrible when it comes to healthy living – particularly for weight loss goals. The vast amount of carbohydrates will lead to fat storage and hunger pretty soon after eating! Stick to a slice of rye for your favourite toppings on a healthier, open sandwich with tonnes more fibre.

5. Smoothies

These convenient bottles of fruit and vegetables come in many shapes and sizes and often contain up to two of your five a day. A healthy choice right?

Wrong.

Smoothies are full of sugar and will spike your insulin in the same way that a chocolate bar would. Sure, the sugar is often from fruits, however, the effect it has on your body is no different from refined sugar since the fruits are blended – losing a lot of fibre in the process.

Some smoothies claim to be ‘green’ – packed full of vegetables and added healthy extras like wheatgrass and matcha. However, when looking at the list of ingredients, most smoothies feature a fruit juice (or worse a fruit juice from concentrate) as the main ingredient, several other fruit purees and then a tiny amount of greens like spinach or kale.

You would get a much better health kick from simply adding a side of greens to your plate.

If you want to make your own blended drinks, then go ahead – you can better control the ratio of vegetables to fruit and exactly what goes in, however when it comes to shop bought varieties then steer clear! It would be advisable to keep the ratio of fruits to vegetables 1:3 and try adding a tablespoon of flaxseeds, chia seeds or nuts to increase the fibre content.

6. Fat-Free Products

In a world where fat is the enemy, of course, the range of fat-free products was going to make an appearance and entice us into believing they were better for us. For years it was common belief that eating fats was bad for you and eating a low-fat diet would help you lose weight and stay healthier.

However, we now know that we need fats for a variety of purposes in the body and that not all fats should be treated equally.

Fat-free products are sneaky because when you reduce the amount of fat in a product, to recreate a similar taste you need to add something else.

That ‘something else’ is more often than not sugar, and we know how bad sugar is when it comes to your health and diet goals. So these low-fat labels may contain less fat than the regular products, but you should check the difference in sugar content and think twice about fat-free options.

7. Yoghurts

Which brings us onto our next surprisingly unhealthy food. Now, when we talk about yoghurt we’re obviously not suggesting that all yoghurt is bad for you.

Greek yoghurt, pure and simple, with no added sugar, is a great source of protein – particularly if you’re a vegetarian.

However, how often do you see the words ‘low-fat’ or ‘fat-free’ on the side of a flavoured yoghurt pot?

Exactly.

Flavoured yoghurts are initially an unhealthy choice due to the added sugars from the flavouring process. Fruit purees are the biggest culprit here, and often sugar is simply a listed ingredient too. Add to the mix a low-fat label, and you’ve got yourself a little pot full of sugar!

Try this recipe for a fun DIY yoghurt treat instead!

100g Plain Greek Yogurt

50g Frozen Blueberries

1 tbsp Chia Seeds

Heat the blueberries in a pan until they reduce to a compote consistency. Add the chia seeds and stir well to combine. Leave to cool and thicken and then spoon into your Greek yoghurt.

If you’re really looking to take your health, nutrition and training to the next level in 2017, why not speak to us about our UP Personal Training plans.

If you don’t live near a UP gym you can still get in the best shape of your life with one of our UP Online Personal Training plans from anywhere in the world.

]]>http://upfitness.co.uk/food/top-7-foods-thought-healthy/feed/010 Signs Your Gym is Holding You Backhttp://upfitness.co.uk/articles/10-signs-gym-holding-back/
http://upfitness.co.uk/articles/10-signs-gym-holding-back/#respondThu, 08 Dec 2016 17:48:58 +0000http://upfitness.co.uk/?p=14196It’s official, I’m a gym snob. I’m not going to be sorry about it, but I will explain why. I have recently joined a commercial gym (I won’t name names) so I can be a ‘gym buddy’ for my housemate and good friend. After all, I’m lucky enough to work for Ultimate Performance and have my training done and dusted before she’s even made it home – so I feel for her when I’m done for the evening and she still …

I have recently joined a commercial gym (I won’t name names) so I can be a ‘gym buddy’ for my housemate and good friend.

After all, I’m lucky enough to work for Ultimate Performance and have my training done and dusted before she’s even made it home – so I feel for her when I’m done for the evening and she still has to venture out in the cold when the only reason she’s going is because she feels she has to.

Before I get stuck into this article I want to point out that in no way do I think I’m an expert in this field, not even close. However, I have been trained and educated by the best in the world over the last year so I’ve managed to learn a trick or two and quickly realised that a gym is not ‘just a gym’.

Until now, I’ve been training in what feels like the comfort of my own home (UP Manchester), so to venture out to another gym surrounded by strangers is quite daunting, even for me.

I’ve only had three sessions at this gym and although the way it looks is quite impressive, there are plenty of things I can’t help but notice.

1. The Staff Don’t Care

This is the part where I get all soppy and say how much of a family UP has become for me. And that’s not just the Manchester lot either, the whole global world of UP were behind me and egging me on throughout my own transformation.

I also know I can speak on behalf of our clients when I say this – the gym floor is always full of motivation and every trainer has a genuine passion for you to succeed.

So when I go to another gym and see every trainer they have, sat on their arses, paying no attention whatsoever to anything going on in the gym; it doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.

I could have set my hair on fire and they wouldn’t have even flinched.

Now you might not want a personal trainer and after seeing that for myself, I could understand why but that’s certainly not how a good personal trainer would act.

2. They’ll Also Watch You Do It All Wrong

One of the main reasons I never used to go to the gym was because I had no idea what I was doing and I’d rather avoid the embarrassment.

Having a UP personal trainer means not only do they train you hard, they train you the right way. One of the most vital lessons I have learnt is ‘form’ and how to exercise properly and that’s great for two things –

1. You’re actually working your muscles, as in, really working them and 2. You’re not going to ruin your chances of being able to walk when you’re older.

Something I couldn’t quite understand was that even though I have very basic training knowledge, compared to that of a ‘so called trainer’, they would happily walk by people who are doing it so very wrong and not say a thing.

Now, I don’t care whether they only get paid by their own clients, but if I was in their position I would feel it in my bones, as an expert in the field, that it’s my duty to correct those people.

You’d also think from a business point of view that by caring enough to give a little advice, that person might then think ‘god you were helpful, can I hire you?’ and Bob’s your Uncle, new client, new business.

Exercising the wrong way is not only bad for your body but it’s a complete waste of your time in the gym.

3. It’s a Social Ground

Ask yourself why you go to the gym.

If your answer is ‘to make new friends’, I’ll leave you be.

If your answer is that you’re trying to get in shape, you need to focus on your training.

I’m not saying you need to unsociable. Do what you want before and after your session but if you want results, if you really want to see a change in your body you HAVE to work hard.

I was in the gym watching people having a full on conversation on their mobile whilst leg pressing, or literally just wandering around the gym having a bitch about their friend. It baffles me.

I’m sorry if this offends anyone, but it’s just not the time or place for it and it’s not the kind of atmosphere you should surround yourself with if the reason you’re in the gym is to make a real difference.

4. Equipment Hoggers

I’ve already lost count of the number of gym-goers who would literally have their rest on a machine.

IF YOU’RE NOT USING IT, GET OFF IT.

Now I’m not exactly afraid to tell someone to get off a machine they’re not using, but for those who aren’t that confident around a gym, it’s not a nice thing to have to do.

Especially when said person feels they own the gym (you usually get a vibe).

You will never see this in a UP gym – ever.

5. It’s a Mess

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the tidiest of people, so when I say ‘it’s a mess’ what I really mean is that it’s just not organised and I’ll tell you why that’s a problem when you’re training.

Imagine you’re on a mission, you’re training hard, you’ve just finished your first exercise and you’ve got 60 seconds before you need to start the next one…but you can’t for the life of you find the dumbbell you need.

It’s not about being tidy for the sake of it looking ‘pretty’, it’s about not wasting your gym session by wandering around trying to locate the equipment you need – it sucks.

You may still be wondering why I still care about this, but once you’ve had a training session with a UP personal trainer, in a UP gym, where everything is specifically designed to make sure you get the maximum out of your ‘1 hour’…then you’ll know.

6. It’s Driven By Money, Not Results

Let’s face it – those commercial gyms you train in are all about the dollar.

You may ask why that would even matter, so I’ll tell you.

The equipment, the staff, the advertisements, the merchandise – it’s all there to keep everyone happy so they keep paying.

Yes, that might all look great and give you more value for your money, but what it doesn’t do is take away the fact that none of those things will help change your body shape.

Those things are all materialistic ‘things’ that will give you more of a reason to pay to go to their gym and no one else’s but how often do you see those gyms promote how anyone that goes to their gym, has actually seen a difference in their health and physique?

Just take a look.

7. There’s No Care for One Another

I’ll be the first to admit that I love a good headphones-in-ears-being-in-my-own-zone type of training session, but the problem with these type of sessions, unless you’re an absolute beast, is that will soon get boring.

Boring sessions will not inspire you and they’ll not make you want to keep going back either.

When I had my first UP experience with a personal trainer it made me realise just how much passion and care they had for you to achieve something – and that wasn’t just my personal trainer, it was all of them.

And then there are all the other clients. Everyone is on a mission and a serious mission too, so everyone is on the same wavelength and the great thing about this is the incredible atmosphere it creates.

One of my favourite things about the job is literally watching our clients change, every time you see them and I’ll not hold back in telling them how awesome they’re looking.

You won’t get that anywhere else, I promise you that.

8. Everyone’s Afraid to Train

I mean really train.

Another thing I’ve learnt thanks to UP is that it’s okay to get aggressive in the gym.

It doesn’t matter if you’re swearing your head off, grunting or simply yelling at your trainer. In fact, it’s encouraged because what it does mean is that you’re having a cracking good session.

If your gym makes you feel like you can’t do any of those things, it also means you’re holding back when you train, which is the last thing you want to be doing. After all, you’re there to train aren’t you?

You wouldn’t go to the hairdressers and get half a hair cut, would you? You wouldn’t go to the tailors and get just the one leg fitted? Going to the gym and having a half-hearted session is not only a waste of your time, it’s not going to bring you the results you want from it.

9. Most Have No Clue

Once again, I’d like to point out that I do not know everything – I’m fully aware of that, believe me.

I would, however, like to point something out that I think will benefit many of you next time you go into a gym.

Think about all of the ‘gym-goers’ who intimidate you because you feel they know way more than you about training.

Think about those who are lifting a ridiculous amount of weight, performing the fastest reps of all time or maybe even exercising the most complicated move you’ve ever seen.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you that almost 90% of the time, those people have NO IDEA what they’re doing, so you really don’t need to worry about them.

That’s when you will start to want to go to the gym because you’re enjoying what you’re getting out of it.

If you’re not seeing improvements, if you don’t know what you’re doing or if you’ve got no one (even yourself) pushing you to do better, then it’s safe to say you will eventually despise it.

If you can relate to any of these things, the likelihood is you’re not getting what you need out of your gym and maybe, just maybe it’s worth thinking about really investing in yourself and think about changing.

If you’re wondering just how special UP really is, isn’t it worth finding out? Get in touch today about ourUP Personal Training plans.

If you don’t live near a UP gym you can still get in the best shape of your life with one of our UP Online Personal Training plans from anywhere in the world.

]]>http://upfitness.co.uk/articles/10-signs-gym-holding-back/feed/0How to get rid of muscle soreness after a heavy session at the gymhttp://upfitness.co.uk/articles/why-do-you-get-muscle-soreness-and-how-do-you-get-rid-of-it/
http://upfitness.co.uk/articles/why-do-you-get-muscle-soreness-and-how-do-you-get-rid-of-it/#respondThu, 08 Dec 2016 17:25:55 +0000http://upfitness.co.uk/?p=14285It’s about this time of year that people start heading back to the gym to get back in shape before the mass New Year health kick begins. Many of these enthusiasts have not worked out in a while, and so experience a level of soreness in the days after training that has them moving around in desperate need of a wheelchair. When new clients start at Ultimate Performance, we almost never fail to get an email the following day with …

]]>It’s about this time of year that people start heading back to the gym to get back in shape before the mass New Year health kick begins.

Many of these enthusiasts have not worked out in a while, and so experience a level of soreness in the days after training that has them moving around in desperate need of a wheelchair.

When new clients start at Ultimate Performance, we almost never fail to get an email the following day with complaints of how it feels like their legs have been hit repeatedly with a baseball bat.

A couple of weeks later, however, these same clients are rarely sore, and if they are, certainly not to the dramatic levels experienced in their first week.

Why does this happen?

The soreness you experience is commonly referred to as Delay Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS. It’s a product of inflammation caused by muscular damage during training.

In particular, it’s the eccentric part (the lengthening or stretching phase) of a movement, such as the lowering phase of a squat that is most responsible for the pain caused.

How long should it last?

DOMS should typically last anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, maybe a little longer.

If it falls in that range, it’s probably a sign of a good workout.

If you’re limping around six days after, you may have overdone it.

That being said, in the first week or so into training, no matter what you do, you’re going to experience soreness for three to five days.

Sensitivity to Soreness

The greater your level of training experience, and the more consistent you are with your training, the less sensitive you’ll be to DOMS. This is because your body adapts to the stress of exercise to the body, and becomes better at doing so the more experienced you are.

As a result, the number one tip to prevent crippling soreness from day one is to start slow and build your training volume up.

4 Ways to Reduce Muscle Soreness

1. Protein Intake

One of the first changes we make to any client’s diet is to increase their protein intake to approximately 2 to 2.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight.

Protein’s primary role in the body is ‘growth and repair’. The reason our clients don’t feel as sore later into their training with us is due to their increased protein intake.

This is not to say if you eat protein, your soreness will go away. It’s not as simple as that. But it does highlight our body’s need for this macronutrient to help repair muscle damage.

During your training, it may be worth supplementing with 10-20 grams of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), which have been proven to reduce muscle breakdown when training.

2. Active Recovery

Most people resort to stretching when they feel sore the day after training. Whilst it seems like the obvious thing to do, it doesn’t work in the real world, and research now shows it makes no real difference either.

What works best is promoting blood flow into the areas that are sore, and staying active!

For example, if you’re particularly sore in your legs, doing some light activity (e.g. going for a walk) and creating blood flow can help shuttle some much-needed nutrients into the area of inflammation.

3. Low Inflammation Diet

To combat the inflammation from DOMS, you need to make sure your diet isn’t adding to the problem.

Eating a diet rich in vegetables and essential fats, whilst limiting overly processed foods is a good rule of thumb to follow.

More importantly, avoiding foods that don’t agree with you can go a long way in preventing any additional inflammation.

One supplement that has been heavily researched as a way to reduce inflammation, muscle pain and accelerate recovery is curcumin. This super nutrient, taken in doses of 400-800mg a day may help reduce some of the symptoms experienced.

4. Limit the Eccentric

The greatest amount of muscle damage comes from the eccentric portion of the exercises.

Whilst you wouldn’t want to eliminate the eccentric portion of an exercise (as that’s where a lot of the muscle building potential comes from), you could pick exercises that create less damage.

Typically, exercises loading the muscle through an extremely stretched position, like a Romanian deadlift, will create more soreness in the hamstrings than a machine leg curl.

Ultimately, though, if you build your work capacity slowly, and train regularly, your soreness from workouts will be dramatically reduced.

In the meantime, take these steps:

Start slow

Increase your protein intake

Stay active

Promote blood flow

Eat an anti-inflammatory diet

If you are ready to transform your physique in 2017, speak to us about ourUP Personal Training plans.

If you don’t live near a UP gym you can still get in the best shape of your life with one of our UP Online Personal Training plans from anywhere in the world.

]]>http://upfitness.co.uk/articles/why-do-you-get-muscle-soreness-and-how-do-you-get-rid-of-it/feed/0Stay Lean with These Tasty Christmas Turkey ‘Pigs in Blankets’http://upfitness.co.uk/food/healthy-christmas-turkey-recipe/
http://upfitness.co.uk/food/healthy-christmas-turkey-recipe/#respondThu, 08 Dec 2016 17:18:44 +0000http://upfitness.co.uk/?p=14284Pigs in blankets are the ultimate Christmas comfort food. Switch up your regular, high fat pork sausages with these turkey sausages and turkey bacon rashers and you’re in for a healthy, high protein treat! Making simple, healthy changes to your festive dinner will all amount to a healthier Christmas without a lot of extra effort. You can customise this recipe to suit with different flavours – we’ve used wholegrain mustard and a drizzle of honey, but you could add a …

Switch up your regular, high fat pork sausages with these turkey sausages and turkey bacon rashers and you’re in for a healthy, high protein treat!

Making simple, healthy changes to your festive dinner will all amount to a healthier Christmas without a lot of extra effort.

You can customise this recipe to suit with different flavours – we’ve used wholegrain mustard and a drizzle of honey, but you could add a teaspoon of unsweetened apple sauce in between the sausage and bacon.

The main healthier switch here is from pork to turkey – turkey is a great source of iron and zinc, as well as vitamin B6 which is great for your energy levels. It is lower in fat than pork and very high in protein. Turkey is also a source of selenium and tryptophan (an amino acid) which is key to producing serotonin.

Serotonin is said to help maintain your mood and keep you happy!

Macros

(per pig in blanket)

Calories: 121 Carbs: 6.9g Fat: 3.3g Protein: 16.1g

Ingredients

8 Gluten-free turkey sausages

8 Rashers of turkey bacon

1 tbsp Wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp Raw honey

½ tsp Rosemary

Method

In a baking tray, lay out your sausages.

Mix together the mustard, honey and rosemary in a small bowl.

Baste the sausages with the marinade.

Wrap a slice of bacon around the sausage.

Baste again and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 20-25 minutes until the sausages are cooked through.

]]>A good chicken curry is warming, spicy, comforting and delicious and this healthy interpretation is no different!

Full of Indian flavours, but without the heavy cream or butter.

This recipe pairs perfectly with a portion of cauliflower rice, which I have given a ‘pilau’ makeover to in the method below.

Ingredients

For the Curry

1 free-range chicken breast

50g baby corn

50g mangetout

¼ white onion

3 tbsp coconut milk (reduced fat*)

1 tsp ground almonds

½ tsp coconut oil

½ tsp curry powder

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp garlic powder

For the Rice

100g cauliflower

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

pinch of salt

Method

For the Curry

Marinade the chicken in the curry blend

Roast the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked

Pull the chicken apart with two forks

Dice the onion and sautee in a pan with the coconut oil and spices. Don’t let the spices burn

Add the chicken to the pan with the baby corn and mange tout

Pour over the coconut milk

Reduce the heat and simmer

Season and top with ground almonds and fresh coriander

*Using reduced fat coconut milk is optional, so I have provided the macros for both full-fat and reduced fat so that you can choose which one best suits your diet. The fatty acids found in coconut milk are highly beneficial – helping to lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure. However, full fat coconut milk is much higher in calories than the reduced fat version so feel free to use whichever best suits your nutrition goals.

Macros

Full-fat:

Calories: 454, Carbs: 11.2g, Fat: 28g, Protein: 41.5g

Reduced Fat:

Calories: 341, Carbs: 9.0g, Fat: 15.9g, Protein: 40.2g

Method

For the Pilau Cauli Rice

Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it has the consistency of couscous or rice.

Combine the spices with the coconut oil and mix well.

Pour over the cauliflower rice and stir to coat.

Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes or saute in a pan.

Macros

Calories: 38, Carbs: 3g, Fat: 0.9g, Protein: 3.6g

If you’re really looking to take your health, nutrition and training to the next level in 2017, why not speak to us about our UP Personal Training plans.

If you don’t live near a UP gym you can still get in the best shape of your life with one of our UP Online Personal Training plans from anywhere in the world.